UNRWA: Water shortage became 'matter of life and death' for Gazans
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The UNRWA is sending a serious warning about the coming hours in the lives of Gazans.
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Palestinians take shelter in a UN-run school from the ongoing Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip in Nuiserat refugee camp on October 14, 2023 (AP)
As a measure of punishment by Israeli occupation authorities, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has issued an urgent warning about the probable loss of lives of two million people inside Gaza, as a result of the siege imposed by the Israelis on the people and the suspension of energy.
"People are forced to use dirty water from wells, which increases the risk of spreading water-borne diseases," said Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA.
The water issue "has become a matter of life and death," he added, calling for fuel to be urgently delivered now to Gaza to provide water for two million people.
"Moving more than one million people across a densely populated war zone to a place with no food, water, or accommodation, when the entire territory is under siege, is extremely dangerous - and in some cases, simply not possible," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
Read: Gaza hospitals stop functioning, humanitarian crisis exacerbates
The forced displacement policy pursued by the Israeli occupation army has left - according to the UN - over 423,000 Palestinians stranded due to the ongoing Israeli aggression targeting their homes and areas.
The UN Humanitarian Office (OCHA) launched an appeal for $300 million to help people and their humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank, which has become catastrophic after the Israeli occupation blockade.
For his part, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in the Gaza Strip reported that the occupation is intensifying its raids on the Strip, amid a comprehensive siege and warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe, due to the cessation of all services.
The Israeli occupation imposed its siege on Gaza, ordering cutting off water from the entire Strip, and the power outage led to a shortage of supplies.
A previous report by UNRWA had talked about the difficult conditions in some shelters that suffer from overcrowding and the limited availability of potable water, noting that not all schools are designated as emergency shelters. Therefore, they are not prepared to receive internally displaced people.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza stated that the continued Israeli occupation cut off electricity, water, and fuel "poses a threat to the lives of the wounded and sick."
Read: Refuge reduced to rubble: UN schools not exempt from Israeli brutality
